The Lost Daughter
by Amalthea-Shine
Summary: While on a mission/vacation to Sutos, the team learns a bit about their old friend Wilder, and a long-forgotten figure from Sophie's past shows up.
1. Chapter 1

I just had this crazy idea, so I decided to write about it.

Summary: While on a mission/vacation to Sutos, the team learns a bit about their old friend Wilder, and a long-forgotten figure from Sophie's past shows up.

Disclaimer: I do not own Huntik.

#! $%^$&*(&(&^*%&^%# ~$ %^%*&^()*)(&$^%!#$#%^&$&*()(&^*%#&$^%!

Chapter 1: The beginning.

**Fourteen years ago**

A twenty-year-old man wearing a dark suit walked down the streets of Paris, combing his sleek blond hair.

_I can't believe I'm finally in_ he thought to himself _and finally out._

Zack Wilder had just recently been accepted into the ranks of the Organization. He'd received his first Titan to bond with and a paycheck to give him a head start, since he didn't have much. Right now, he was looking at apartments in various cities where the Organization had bases. He had searched the Czech Republic, Spain, and Italy, and now he was touring France. The Organization bosses who ran the operations in the countries he had gone to were getting annoyed, but Wilder just hadn't found that place that said "Home" to him.

Of course, he had no idea what it was like to have a real home, so he didn't really know what exactly he was looking for. Having been in the foster system in the U.S. since he was born, he'd been moved around from one house and horrible set of foster parents to another. As soon as he had turned 18, he'd taken the money he had collected over the years, some of it from various jobs he'd had over the years and some of it stolen from the most terrible of his foster parents, and purchased himself a ticket to Europe.

Once there, he had bounced around for a bit before he ended up picking a fight with the wrong people. Left for dead, Wilder had been rescued by a group of Organization suits and offered the chance to join them. He'd had to prove his worth, of course, but he'd gotten through it.

Wilder was in the middle of a flashback, remembering when he had first met the Professor and pledged his loyalty to the Organization, when he heard a noise. Stopping in his tracks, he listened. There it was again! It almost sounded like. . . crying? Wilder slowly and cautiously went towards the noise. He rounded the corner into an alley and stopped short.

In front of him, crouched down on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest, was a little girl. She had long, light brown hair, pale skin, and wore a teal dress that was ruined by soot and scorch marks. She looked up when she heard Wilder approach. Her green eyes were rimmed with red from crying, and her tears had cleaned the soot from her face where they had fallen, leaving trail marks. She couldn't have been more than four or five.

"Are you okay?" Wilder asked in a soft voice so as not to scare her. The girl tried to scoot away from him, but fell. Wilder saw that she was injured, her legs having been badly burned. "It's alright. I won't hurt you." The girl stopped trying to get away. "What's your name?"

"I don't know," the little girl replied in a voice so quiet Wilder almost didn't hear her.

"You don't know your name?" Wilder asked. The girl shook her head. "Where are your parents?" The girl shook her head again and resumed her crying. Wilder reached out a hand towards her and she backed away quickly, stumbling on her injured legs. "You're hurt. I have to get you to a hospital. Maybe we can find your parents. Will that be alright?" He held out his hand. The girl looked back and forth from his face to his hand, then slowly reached out her own hand and placed it in his.

Wilder helped her to her feet, but could see that she wouldn't be able to do much walking on those legs. It was also starting to rain a little bit. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around the girl, then picked her up and started walking. It wasn't long before she fell asleep. Wilder was able to get a cab and asked the driver to take him to the nearest hospital.

"Something wrong with your daughter, sir?" the driver asked.

"She's not my daughter," Wilder replied, looking at the sleeping girl in his arms.

"A relative of some sort, then?"

"No."

"Then who is she?" The driver was giving him a suspicious look.

"I don't know," Wilder answered. "She doesn't remember her name and it looks like she just came out of a fire. I'm hoping to find her family as soon as her injuries are taken care of."

"Don't get your hopes up," the driver told him. "Most likely, she's an orphan. Her parents probably died in the same fire. It's best you just drop her off at an orphanage. There's one not far from here. They'll take care of her."

"I'm paying you to take me to the hospital," Wilder said through clenched teeth, "so take me to the hospital."

"Okay, okay." The driver dropped the subject, and the cab was quiet. The only sound to be heard was the girl's soft snoring.

They reached the hospital soon after that. Wilder paid the driver and walked in, immediately getting the attention of the nurses to come look at the girl.

* * *

Two weeks later, Wilder walked through the doors of an orphanage, the same one the taxi driver had spoken of.

The hospital had been unable to locate the mystery girl's family, so she had been sent to the orphanage. Wilder frowned as he took a good look at the place.

_Looks almost exactly like the one I was in_ Wilder thought _when I was in between foster families._

In other words, this was no place for a child to grow up in. Wilder's heart went out to all the children here, but especially the girl he'd found.

She had no real memory of her name. Each time she was asked, her answer changed back and forth from "Rena" to "Rennie" or something similar. After arriving at the orphanage, she had been given the name Scarlet, after the scars that the burns would leave on her legs. Wilder did not like that name at all, more for the reason than for the name itself.

He entered a courtyard where a bunch of kids were playing and looked around. He spotted Scarlet sitting by herself on a bench by the back wall, staring at her shoes. She was wearing a dull gray dress and her legs were still bandaged. He started to walk over to her.

"May I help you?"

Wilder turned to see the orphanage caretaker standing there. The old woman was giving him a curious look.

"I'm here to see Scarlet," Wilder answered.

"We have more than one 'Scarlet' here," the woman said in a patient voice. "Which one are you referring to?"

"The one who came here not two weeks ago," he answered. "The one with the burns on her legs. I'm the one who found her and took her to the hospital." The woman smiled.

"Ah, yes," she said. "That Scarlet. Adorable little girl, but not very social. She's right over there." The woman pointed to where Scarlet was sitting.

"Thank you." Wilder began walking across the courtyard. Quite a few of the children stopped and stared at him as he passed them. He ignored them. He just kept walking until he was right in front of Scarlet. She looked up as soon as he stopped.

She had been crying again. Her face was just as sad as it had been the day Wilder had found her, but, when she saw him, her whole face lit up. She jumped down from the bench and reached out to hug him. He knelt down and hugged her back.

He sat there with her, and they talked until the bell rang for the children to come inside. He held her hand as he walked with her, but let go when they were in the hallway.

"Hey!" Scarlet exclaimed, reaching for his hand again.

"Sorry, kid," Wilder said. "I have to go." Scarlet's smile disappeared.

"You're leaving?" she asked. Her voice sounded as if she might cry again.

"Don't worry," Wilder told her. "I'll be back."

The look on Scarlet's face told him that she didn't believe him. She turned and walked away with the other kids. Watching her, Wilder thought back to all the people who had come to the orphanage to talk to him, people he thought would adopt him, and the pain he felt watching them leave without him. He thought about all the foster homes he had been in, going from place to place, never settling down somewhere he could call home. He thought about the awful life he'd had, a life that was now undoubtedly in store for Scarlet.

With those thoughts going through his head, he made up his mind.

* * *

**Eleven years ago**

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The familiar scream woke Wilder up in the middle of the night. He threw off the covers and made his way towards the bedroom across the hall. Opening the door, he saw a little seven-year-old girl in practically the exact same position she had been in when he'd found her.

"Renee?"

When Wilder had filled out the adoption papers, three years ago, he had decided to name the girl Renee, as it was very close to the answers she had given when asked her name. Not very creative, but it was at least better than Scarlet.

Renee looked up, her tear-stained face just visible in the moonlight shining through her window.

"Daddy!" she shouted when she saw him, racing out of bed and over to him. He knelt down and let her throw her arms around him. He picked her up and held her close as she cried into his shoulder.

"Did you have that nightmare again?" he asked. He felt her nod.

Every year, around the time he had found her, Renee would get terrible nightmares that always had something to do with fire: huge, towering flames that were destroying everything in sight. Wilder thought they might've had something to do with the condition she'd been in when he found her. Renee didn't remember anything about her past, not even her own name, but she seemed to remember something horrible that had to do with fire.

"It's okay," he whispered into his daughter's ear. "Shh. You're alright. I'm right here."

Wilder stayed with her, holding her and rocking her gently, until she fell asleep. Even after he had tucked her back into bed, he sat down and watched her the rest of the night, just like he did every year, prepared to chase away those nightmares if they even thought about coming back to hurt his daughter.

!#$#$%^&%&*(& #$%$#^&%^*&^(%^%!# #$#%^&*((&^$!#$% ^%

How was that for a first chapter? Yes, it's the Wilder you're thinking of. As for his first name, I had a friend in elementary school named Zack Wilder, so I thought "What the heck? Why not?"

Review and tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

JaneNero: Glad you loved it. What do you mean by "Poor Renee"?

Nina Vale: We really don't know much about him, but that's what makes it easy to write about him in a different light than what we see in the show, to write about a side of him that we don't see.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

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Chapter 2: Then and Now

**2 years ago**

Wilder woke up and looked at the clock standing on the desk next to his bed. It read 6:52 in the morning. The alarm was set for seven.

_Eight more minutes of sleep _he thought, and closed his eyes again. Two seconds later the door flew open, and a heavy weight deposited itself next to him. _So much for that._

"Dad, come on," he heard his sixteen-year-old daughter's voice say. "We're on vacation to have fun, not sleep in."

"Renee," Wilder mumbled into his pillow, "we have two weeks to have fun, and it's our first day. We have plenty of time."

"But there's so much to do," Renee protested. "Two weeks isn't enough. C'mon. We still have to hike all the way into town."

"It's not that far away and we're both pretty good hikers," Wilder said. "It won't take us that long to get there."

"But there's that festival going on today," Renee reminded him. "If we wait too long, all the fun stuff will be over."

"There's still all that shopping you could do," Wilder said, "plus all the food vendors. You'll be stopping me every five seconds to try something new."

"Exactly," Renee said, "so we better get there early so that we can see, do, and try it all."

"Five more minutes."

Wilder waited for a response, but didn't get one. That didn't surprise him, though. He knew exactly what was happening. Renee was still there, watching the clock and waiting until five minutes had passed, after which she would either pull the covers off of him or jump up and down on the bed. This had happened so many times before that he was used to it.

Sure enough, after five minutes, he felt a certain teenage girl pull the covers off of him, revealing his white tank top and purple pajama shorts. He reacted by picking up his pillow and throwing it at his laughing daughter. He was used to her wake-up methods, but that didn't mean he had to like them.

Renee, still laughing, picked up the fallen pillow and threw it back at her father. Running out of the room before he could start a pillow fight, she closed the door behind her. Wilder laughed at his daughter's antics before climbing out of bed and walking over to his closet.

Ten minutes later, he walked out of the room in a loose shirt, khaki pants, hiking boots, and a small backpack. Walking into the living room, he saw Renee dressed in a similar manner. The only difference was that her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. His daughter was double-checking her to-do list for today, as well as making sure she had her money and camera, as well as an English-Mandarin dictionary.

"Are you ready?" Wilder asked, even though he knew the answer. Renee looked up and smiled.

"I've been ready for the past thirty minutes," she said. "I'm the one who should be asking you that question."

"Let's go then."

The pair slipped on their backpacks and slipped out of the house, making their way to the path that would take them into the village.

* * *

Later that afternoon, the pair was walking on that same path, but in the opposite direction. Feet aching, stomachs full to near bursting, and backpacks almost overflowing with souvenirs, they were both done for the day.

"I am so sleeping in tomorrow," Renee said in a tired voice. Wilder smiled.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have woken up so early," he said. Renee gave him a half-hearted glare.

"I think we both agree that we got some pretty awesome deals today."

Before her father could respond, the trees rustled behind them. Wilder turned around, and all he saw was a blur before something hard hit him in the head and knocked him out.

* * *

When Wilder came to, he was alone. Renee's backpack was lying on the ground next to him, but there was no sign of Renee. He stood up slowly, shaking the dizziness from his head, picked up Renee's backpack, and looked around.

"Renee!" Wilder called out. "Renee! RENEE!"

He kept calling her name until he couldn't shout anymore. He then ran until he reached the small house he had rented and nearly took out the door running inside. He searched every room, calling out his daughter's name. When she didn't answer, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number. Her backpack started ringing and he hung up. He ran outside and tried calling her name again, even though he sounded like a walrus trying to sing opera. Collapsing onto the ground, he hugged his daughter's backpack to his chest and cried until his eyes were dry.

* * *

**Present Day**

Wilder stood on the beach of Sutos Island, staring at the water. His eyes were wet with tears that had yet to fall. He took a picture out of his pocket and looked down at it.

This picture had been taken the week before they'd gone on their trip to China. A street photographer had asked if he could take their picture, and they'd happily said yes. They had started by posing side-by-side, smiling at the camera, but that hadn't lasted long. At the last minute, Renee had jumped onto Wilder's back and tickled his neck. He had started laughing, which in turn had made Renee laugh. By the time they had gotten their giggles under control, the photographer had taken the picture.

Renee had been wearing her favorite teal shirt and a pair of blue jeans, which hid the scars on her legs that were all that remained of the burns she'd had when Wilder had found her. The scars had faded over time, but she still didn't like to show them. Her long, wavy, light-brown hair went halfway between her shoulders and the middle of her back, and had a teal streak in the front on her right side. The picture showed the two of them with big, goofy smiles on their faces and laughter in their eyes. This picture showed how his daughter always was and showed a side of Wilder that only Renee ever saw.

_Renee _Wilder thought sadly. _Another year has gone by, and I'm no closer to finding you than I was back then. _The tears started to fall.

It had been two whole years since Renee had disappeared. Wilder had searched desperately for her, checking all over the village they had been to the day she vanished and the surrounding areas, as well as her friends' houses and all her favorite places around the city when he got back home. He used any and all powers he had available to him, but he couldn't find her.

Wilder had never told anyone in the Organization about her, so there was no one he could turn to that could help him find her. He had risen quickly in the Organization's ranks after that day, gaining followers and growing stronger. It still wasn't enough. He didn't have the resources available to find out just what exactly had happened to his daughter and where she was now.

After the defeat of the Professor, Wilder had seized his chance and tried to take control. As leader of the Organization, he would have been given access to information that was once denied him. With that, he could find out what had happened to Renee and how to find her, if she was even still alive and wanted to be found. Wilder shook his head.

_Don't think like that _he thought angrily to himself. _Renee's a tough girl. She wouldn't have let anyone take her so easily and she wouldn't have just run away. Maybe she's out there right now, trying to find me._

Wilder had those same thoughts every time his daughter came to his mind. He tried to be optimistic, but, with each passing day and false lead, his hope was diminishing. He glanced at the sea one last time before turning away and walking back to the mansion.

* * *

Unknown to Wilder, Grier had been watching him the whole time he'd been out there.

_This isn't like him _Grier thought. _Something's wrong, and I need to find out what it is before he does something drastic._

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How was that? Did you like it? I'll explain what happened to Renee in future chapters. For now, review and tell me what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

Nina Vale: I'll let you figure that out in future chapters.

D.N.S Akina: Glad you love it.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

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Chapter 3: New Mission

The whole team was relaxing at Sophie's house. She and Lok had graduated from high school the previous week, and Dante had promised a special mission for them as a reward. They were just waiting for the call. Right now, they were eating the ice cream sundaes that Zhalia had fixed for them.

"They never let us have anything sweet like this in the Blood Spiral," Harrison said as he ate a spoonful of vanilla with peanut butter sauce and candy pieces.

"All the more reason to stay in the Huntik Foundation," Den said as he dug into his sundae of fruity candy.

"You know, Sophie," Lok said to the girl with the chocolate sundae, "we joined the Foundation two years ago around this time." He took another bite of his own sundae, which had a little bit of everything.

"That's right," Sophie replied. "You wanted me to help you study for finals, but then we found your father's journal and were ambushed by Suits."

"Good thing you weren't ambushed this year," Cherit commented as he dug into a sundae that was the same as Lok's. "You needed all the help you could get." Everyone but Lok laughed at that.

"You may have graduated high school," Zhalia said as she ate her own sundae, which was a copy of Sophie's, "but there's still college to think about." Lok groaned.

"Don't worry, Lok," Sophie told him. "The Foundation has dozens of universities around the world, with courses designed to suit your interests and even let you earn credits by going on missions."

"In that case, I'll have graduated within one year." Sophie rolled her eyes at Lok's comment.

Just then, the wide-screen TV started beeping. Dante was calling.

"Answer it! Answer it!" the boys cried as Sophie reached for the remote. Pressing the right button, Dante's smiling face appeared.

"Hey, everyone," he said.

"Hi, Dante," the team replied.

"Lok, Sophie, congratulations on graduating high school. I can't believe it's been two years since you two joined the Foundation. I still remember the day we first met."

"We were just talking about that," Lok said.

"So what's this reward you've been telling us about?" Zhalia asked.

"Just a little vacation to Sutos Island," Dante answered. "I've made all the arrangements with Grier," he continued after the teens had stopped cheering. "Seaside apartments, fantastic swimming and surfing, and all the seafood you can stomach." The teens once again broke out in cheers.

"You said there was a mission behind this?" Zhalia asked when the noise had died down.

"Yes. You'll be investigating the legend of the Hippocampus."

"The mythical water horses that pulled the chariot of Poseidon, the god of the seas," Sophie said in an excited voice.

"That's right," Dante said. "You'll meet with someone on the island who knows quite a bit about the legend. He'll guide you to the titan's location. Take your time, though. You have two whole weeks to complete the mission."

The teens said their goodbyes and raced off to start packing. Zhalia sighed before she and Cherit said their own goodbyes. Dante smiled at them before closing the transmission.

* * *

Two days later saw the team on a boat headed for Sutos. The boys were dressed in swim trunks and T-shirts while the girls wore bikinis under their clothes, Sophie wearing a sun dress and Zhalia wearing loose pants and a tank top. All of them wore flip-flops on their feet.

"So this place we're going to," Harrison began. "You've all been here before?"

"Zhalia and I have only been here once," Den answered. "Lok and Sophie have been here twice."

"The first time we were on a mission for the Foundation," Sophie told Harrison. "The second time we were looking for something to help us fight the Blood Spirals."

"Details." Harrison leaned forward. He was always eager to hear about the team's past missions.

"The first time we came to Sutos," Sophie explained, always ready to tell a story, "we were looking for Jason's ship, the Argo, and his titans, the Hoplites. Sutos had been in a civil war for ten years, but the day we arrived was the same day the Organization took over. They were led by Grier, a man we had encountered several times in the past when he was working for Defoe." Harrison nodded. He had heard all about Defoe. "As it turns out, Grier is actually the prince of Sutos, the son of its leader who died ten years earlier, sending the island into civil war. Grier joined the Organization in hopes of taking back the island one day. We made our peace with him that day and completed our mission.

"The second time we came here, we were asking Grier for help."

"I thought you said you were looking for something to fight the Blood Spirals," Harrison questioned.

"Right," Sophie said. "We were hoping Grier could give us something that could help us defeat Rassimov. He led us to the Professor's castle, where we found files that the old leader of the Organization had kept on Rassimov. That was before we fought you and him in Egypt."

"So that's how you were able to defeat him," Harrison observed. Sophie nodded. "But you didn't know about Legion."

"Which is why we lost in the end," Sophie said. "We were unprepared to fight such a titan."

"I wonder if we'll run into Wilder while we're here," Den thought out loud, trying to change the subject and forget about the time when his brother had fought against him.

"Who's Wilder?" Harrison asked.

"A member of the Organization," Cherit answered. "After we defeated the Professor, he tried to take control. We've fought him several times."

"The last time we saw him," Den said, "was at the Professor's castle. He tried to take the files on Rassimov."

"What happened to him?" Harrison asked.

"Grier defeated him and brought him back here," Lok said. "Maybe we will see him."

"Approaching the dock," Zhalia called over her shoulder from her place at the wheel. "Grab your luggage and prepare to go ashore."

The teens didn't listen. Instead, they walked to the front of the boat and watched as the island grew closer. Zhalia rolled her eyes.

!#$# $&$^*R^E*#^UY^! $^$%&(*$^#%&^! $%&^()$%^%*&!#$%&#%$*&$~ ^%

So what did you think? Don't worry. Wilder will show up in the next chapter. Until then, please review.


	4. Chapter 4

Nina Vale: As River Song always says, "Spoilers." I'm not saying anything.

NumberOneVIP: Like I told Nina Vale, I'm not saying anything. The two of you will just have to be patient.

(P.S. Muahahahahahahahaha!)

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

!# $ #%^$*&()()^*&~ $#%^&*(^I*&!# $~ #%$#&$^%*($& $#%~! # $

Chapter 4: Arriving on Sutos

Zhalia turned off the boat while the team grabbed their luggage. Walking onto the dock, they saw Prince Grier waiting for them, in full royal garb.

"Welcome to Sutos," he said in his warmest voice. "I hope you enjoy your stay."

"You sound like a tour guide," Zhalia joked, and the whole team laughed.

"Zhalia Moon, Lok Lambert, Sophie Casterwill, and Den Fears, and this must be Harrison."

"What's with the costume?" Harrison asked with a smile. Den elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow!"

"Sorry about my brother," Den said. "He has a tendency to insult people without realizing it."

"That's alright," Grier said, wearing a smile of his own. "Even Dante laughed when he first saw me wearing this."

"You two were still enemies then," Lok said. "I'd laugh too if I saw my enemy wearing a silly costume. You should've seen Rassimov's wardrobe change."

"Talk about a drama queen," Cherit added. Everyone laughed.

Grier led them over to two cars, where the same two soldiers they had rescued from the Blood Spirals were waiting to load their luggage and drive them to where they would be staying. It was a small house on the beach, but close enough that it could still be seen from the mansion. As soon as the cars stopped, the kids all raced out and towards the house in hopes of claiming the best room. They all tried to cheat by using their powers, which resulted in a dog pile and Zhalia claiming the best room for herself. Grier watched it all with an amused smile on his face.

The house was very comfortable, consisting of three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room. Due to the shortage of rooms, Sophie paired up with Zhalia while Den and Harrison shared. Cherit said that he would keep Lok company, but everyone knew that the titan didn't really sleep

"Aside from Sophie's house," Harrison said, "this is the nicest place I've ever stayed in."

"It sure beats living at the orphanage," Den agreed.

"So, who's this expert that's supposed to lead us to the Titan?" Sophie asked Grier. The boys groaned.

"Seriously, Sophie?" Lok asked from where he was lounging on the couch. "Our first day of vacation and already you want to get to work?" Sophie rolled her eyes.

"If we get the mission done now," she began, "then we can relax the rest of the time we're here, rather than procrastinating and having to scramble to get it done before we leave."

"She has a point," Cherit said. Lok responded by throwing a pillow at him.

"It's actually someone you know," Grier said, answering Sophie's question. "You all remember Wilder, right?"

"We were just talking about him on our way here," Den said.

"Don't tell me he's the expert on the Hippocampus," Zhalia said in her usual sarcastic voice.

"Surprising, I know," Grier told her. "But he knows more about the Titan than anyone else on this island. Just keep an eye on him while you're retrieving it. He tried to escape again a few days ago."

"Again?" Sophie repeated. "He's tried to escape before?"

"Several times," Grier answered.

"How many times counts as 'several'?"

"I lost count after 30."

"He's been here barely six months and he's already tried that many escape attempts?" Den asked. "He really doesn't want to be here."

"Is he thinking about swimming?" Cherit asked from his place at the window. "Because he seems pretty interested in the water."

Rather than ask what he meant, the team and Grier joined him at the windows and looked out. Sure enough, Wilder was standing on the beach. His white suit having been disposed of upon his arrival, he now wore a long-sleeved tan shirt and brown pants. He was too far away for them to see, but he had recently gotten a second piercing in his right ear. They _could_ see that he was holding some sort of paper in his hand.

"He's not stupid enough to try swimming to the mainland," Grier said, "but his escape attempts have been getting rather desperate lately. Something's bothering him." Grier's mind flashed back to a conversation he'd had with Wilder after his latest attempt.

**Two days ago**

Grier stepped into the dungeons, walking past the cells until he reached one near the back. He looked inside and saw Wilder laying on the cot and looking at the ceiling.

"I'd thought you would have given up by now," Grier said. Wilder didn't even look at him.

"Not a chance," he said.

"You're not making this any easier on yourself," Grier told him.

"Bite me."

"Why do you keep trying to escape?"

"Because I hate it here and I want to get back to my life."

"You mean you want to get back to trying to become leader of the Organization." Wilder let out a little laugh.

"Oh, please," he scoffed. "I never wanted to be a leader. It was just a stepping stone on the road to getting me what I really want."

"And what is that?" Grier asked.

"I don't have to tell you anything," was the response he got. Grier sighed.

"I remember you, Wilder," he began. "You didn't used to be like this. I remember hearing about you ditching missions early because you said you had somewhere to be, something more important to do."

"Because I did."

"You spent thousands of dollars on pairs of plane tickets, yet no one ever knew who the other ticket was for," Grier continued, ignoring Wilder's comment. "You never lived on an Organization base. You refused to answer any questions on where you were and what you were doing. I heard rumors that you were going to be eliminated because you were considered a threat.

"And then, two years ago, you changed. You completed a record amount of missions in one month. When you weren't on a mission, you were training. You also spent a lot of time using the Organization's resources, yet no one ever figured out what exactly you were doing with what you learned, or didn't learn. You stepped in to become leader practically the second the Professor was defeated, and yet you say that that's never what you wanted. What happened two years ago, Wilder, that made you the way you are now?"

To Grier's surprise, Wilder sat up and glared at him after he had finished speaking. He thought it might have been a trick of the light, but he could have sworn he saw tears in Wilder's eyes.

"None of your business!" Wilder shouted at him. "Leave me alone!" With that, he flopped back down and refused to say another word. Grier watched him for a minute before walking away.

**Present Day**

"Just be careful when you're with him," Grier told the team, "and don't forget to enjoy yourselves these next two weeks."

With that, they said their goodbyes to the prince and started unpacking. Sophie looked back at Wilder one last time before going to unpack her own suitcase.

On the beach, Wilder kept looking at the picture of his daughter, fiddling with the second earring in his right ear.

_I will find you, Renee _he thought. _They can't keep me locked up forever._

#$% #$^#$%*%$^*^&*(*^^#$%! #$% %^^&*^*$#$%&^!#%$~%$#!%^ ^

How was that? If you're wondering about the earrings, they do have a special significance which will be explained in future chapters.

Please review.


	5. Chapter 5

Nina Vale: Huh? If you're talking about River appearing in my story, sorry but this isn't a crossover. If you're talking about River appearing in "Doctor Who," we all want to see more of her.

D.N.S Akina: Uh… are you asking a question?

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

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Chapter 5: Caught

Night had fallen on Sutos Island. All was quiet. The lights were out, animals were penned up, and everyone was asleep in their beds.

Well, not everyone.

Making its way to shore was a dolphin, with a figure holding on to its fin and letting the dolphin pull them across the water. When the dolphin couldn't go any further, the figure let go and started wading onto the beach. The dolphin stayed where it was as the figure walked away, waiting for its rider to come back.

The figure quickly, but carefully, made its way towards the town. It didn't plan to get that far; it was just logical to head that direction. The plan was to stop at any farms or houses it saw along the way and get whatever supplies it needed. It hated stealing from people, but it had no money and it couldn't show itself to others. If it could, it would have gladly worked for anyone willing to hire for a day. Sadly, that wasn't the case.

It came upon a farm fairly quickly. The farm was a decent size, with a barn, a few corrals, and a large garden. The garden was the figure's first stop. Using what little light the moon gave, the figure picked out ripe fruits and vegetables that it could easily eat raw and without any tools, and that it could put into the bag it brought and not have anything it picked be too squashed. That was mostly tomatoes, carrots, beans, and berries; the berries it ate immediately since it was starving.

The barn was next. Upon entering, the figure smiled. In several of the stalls were horses, its favorite animal. It walked quietly, not wanting to disturb the sleeping horses, but took the time to look at and admire each one it passed. It could see that they were well cared for, which made it think very well of the horses' owner and made it feel even more guilty about stealing from them. But the damage was done, and the only thing it could do was move forward.

Heading to the back of the barn where all the tools and equipment were stored, the figure took a long coil of rope and two knives in sheaths. It saw a small bundle of fabric near the floor behind a stack of hay bales and decided to take it. The clothes it was wearing would only last it so long, and it could find thread, needles, and scissors when it got back to the mainland. It laid down stomach-first on the bales and reached for the fabric, but exhaustion caught up to it. For just a moment, it closed its eyes. Having tried so hard for the past few days to not fall asleep, especially close to where people were, it couldn't hold out any more. Within seconds, it was asleep.

* * *

_Fire was everywhere. The flames towered all the way to the high ceiling, burning everything in sight. The heat was so intense, one might think that they were in the heart of a volcano. The smoke was so thick; there was no oxygen at all. The figure tried coughing to get the smoke out, but, with each cough, it took a deep breath and only inhaled even more smoke. It crouched low to the ground, trying to make itself as small as possible. All of a sudden, the flames rushed at it._

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The figure sat up quickly, looking around and trying hard not to fall off of the hay bales. Gasping for breath, it tried to clear the suffocating feeling from its lungs and the smell of smoke from its nose. Absolutely terrified and fully focused on calming down, it didn't hear the horses panicking a little bit or the people who came into the barn to settle them down. It only noticed when they entered the room it was in and shined a light in its face. Looking up, it saw two men; one that looked a few years younger than it and one that looked old enough to be the boy's father.

"What are you doing in here, miss?" The older man asked.

The figure, a young woman, didn't answer. She was still shaken from the nightmare she'd just had, and she knew that these people would find out what she had done. Sure enough, the boy noticed her bag on the floor and looked through it with his flashlight.

"Papa," he said, "this is our rope, and these are our knives. She has tried to steal from us." The older man looked accusingly at the girl.

"You think you can steal from us and get away with it?" he asked. When the girl didn't answer, he grabbed her arm and started dragging her out of the barn. "The law will take care of you."

The girl didn't put up a fight. She did stumble a few times because her legs were trembling, but the man pulled her back up, each time a little more harshly. The boy followed them. Looking around, the girl saw that she had been sleeping longer than she thought. The sun had already started to rise. What little light there was shined down on her, illuminating her long, light brown hair with a teal streak in the front on her right side that didn't come up all the way to the top of her head, green eyes hidden behind deep bags from too little sleep, and tear marks on her cheeks from crying. Her clothing consisted of a loose, off-white T-shirt, a pair of brown pants that looked a size too big for her held up by a worn, black leather belt, and black sneakers.

The group got to the main house, and a woman met them at the door. She looked sympathetically at the girl for a moment, but her attitude changed when her husband told her what the girl had tried to do. Using the phone that they had just got installed in their house, she made a call. The father pushed the girl into a chair.

"You stay right there," he told her. The girl didn't move.

The family waited in the room and watched her until a car pulled up outside of the house. Two soldiers came inside and listened as the family told them the story of what had happened. Their eyes widened a bit when they saw her and their faces looked a little shocked, like they recognized her and couldn't believe she would do something like this, but they quickly shook off those looks. After hearing the story, and looking inside the bag the girl had brought with her, they grabbed her arms and walked her outside. One soldier climbed into the driver seat while the other sat in the back with the girl to make sure she didn't try to escape.

It was a silent drive to the mansion. When they arrived, the soldiers escorted her to the dungeons and locked her in one of the cells, where she would wait until a decision had been made on what to do with her.

The girl had made no reaction to anything from the time she had been found, but, when she saw the bars of the prison cells, her eyes widened with fear and she tried to break away from the soldiers. But she was weak from a lack of food and sleep, and the soldiers were strong. They threw her into the cell and quickly closed and locked the door. They watched as the panicking girl tried in vain to open the door. As they were walking away, they heard her cry out.

"Please!" she shouted at them. "Don't leave me in here! Don't leave me alone!"

Her voice had started out loud, but got quieter the further away the soldiers walked. As soon as she could no longer hear the soldiers' footsteps, the girl collapsed onto the ground and started crying.

!#$ ^$%*^&(*&^(&*& %$~!#$%ER^&^%*&!#^$%^%#$*U %$^!#!~#%!^ &

How was that? Can you guess who the girl is? What's going to happen next?

Please review.


	6. Chapter 6

Nina Vale: Ok. There is that part in "Let's kill Hitler" after Melody regenerates into River, but she doesn't know who she's going to be.

D. N. S Akina: Keep reading and find out.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

#$%%^&%^(*&^*%&$ ^#$$&%R&(^%*$%~ !#%$ #^&*^%* %$!%~

Chapter 6: Memories and Plans

The next morning, the team was slow to wake up, preferring to sleep in. But,eventually, their stomachs forced them out of their cozy beds and into the kitchen. They ate pancakes, courtesy of Zhalia, with sliced strawberries and bananas, courtesy of Sophie, and discussed their mission.

"Grier said Wilder's supposed to lead us to the titan," Zhalia began, "but I don't think the guy's going to be very willing to help us."

"He's still there on the beach," Harrison pointed out for them. "Either he hasn't moved since yesterday or he just really likes that spot."

"Someone needs to go talk to him," Cherit said, "but who's going to do it?"

"Let me," Sophie said as she finished her breakfast and took her plate over to the sink. "I have the most experience with just talking to him."

"We'll be here waiting for you when you get back," Lok said, finishing his last pancake and heading for his room.

"Oh, no, you don't," Zhalia said as she grabbed his shirt before he could escape her reach. "You, Den, and Harrison, are going to do the dishes."

"I'll put them away," Den said, claiming the easiest job.

"I'll dry," Harrison said, following his brother's lead.

Lok groaned. With the brothers taking the other two jobs, he was left to wash. Zhalia handed him her plate and walked into the room she shared with Sophie. Lok looked over at the Casterwill girl standing by the door, his familiar "Help me!" look on his face. Sophie laughed at him and shook her head. Lok groaned again as she walked out of the house, then he turned to the sink.

_Might as well get it over with _he thought.

* * *

Sophie walked down the beach toward the figure standing there as still as a statue. As she got close, Wilder looked up from the picture in his hands and at the approaching girl. His eyes widened a bit when he saw her, and a strange look crossed his face, but it didn't even last a full second.

"Hello, Sophie," he said in a low voice.

_He sounds like he wishes I was somebody else _Sophie thought. "Long time, no see, Wilder."

"Not long enough." With that, Wilder went back to looking at the picture.

"What do you have there?" Sophie asked, trying to start up a conversation.

"The only thing I have of my daughter," was the response she got. She gave Wilder a curious look.

"I didn't know you had a daughter," she said. "What's she like?" Sophie was surprised to see Wilder smile a bit.

"Actually," he said, turning to her, "she was. . . _is_ a lot like you." Sophie caught his little slip-up and stored it away for future reference.

"Clever, kind, and not afraid to stand up for what she believes in," Wilder continued. "Whenever we went somewhere new, she walked around with a guide book spouting out random facts and was fluent in the language within a few days. She was an awesome cook, too. I would come home from a long and tiring mission, and she would have dinner ready for me along with a dessert that would last a week. She would help me with some of my missions, researching legends and historical accounts. Her language skills came in handy quite a bit there.

"When I adopted her, she already had an amulet of her own. I kept it for her until she was thirteen, when I finally told her about Seekers and Titans. Within a few years she was the strongest Seeker I had ever known. I never told the Organization about her, though. I didn't want them recruiting her like they'd recruited me. She was just so innocent; I wanted her to stay that way for as long as possible. She was the only reason I kept moving forward, the only reason I got out of bed every morning. She was my life."

Sophie was silent for a minute, taking it all in. Then she spoke.

"You keep talking about your daughter in past tense," she said. "Did something happen to her?"

Wilder got a scared look on his face, realizing what he had said. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he didn't let them fall. He took a deep breath, trying to get up the courage to answer.

"I lost her," he said in a quiet voice. "Two years ago. She disappeared, and I don't even know if she's still alive."

"What do you mean 'she disappeared'?" Sophie asked. Wilder closed his eyes.

"It was painful enough for me to say as much as I have," he said. "I don't even know why I brought her up at all. Please don't push it any further."

Sophie wanted to know more about Wilder's daughter, but she was afraid that he might not tell them what they needed to know about the Titan they were after if she asked any more questions. This didn't mean she was giving up though. She would ask Wilder more after they got the Titan. For now, they had a mission.

"Grier said that you're supposed to be our guide to the Hippocampus," she said. "Shall we get it over with?"

Wilder tensed up when she mentioned the Titan's name, but he shook it off. Nodding, he turned and followed Sophie back to the house. They entered, and the three boys in the kitchen turned to look at him.

"Wilder," Den said as he took a plate from Harrison. "Long time, no see. Don't try to kill me this time, okay?"

"He tried to do what?" Harrison asked, pausing in what he was doing to stare at his brother. Den stared right back.

"Nothing less than what you tried to do to me," he said. Harrison turned red and went back to drying the dishes.

"So what do you know about the Titan?" Zhalia asked as she walked into the room. Cherit had gone to get her when Sophie and Wilder were walking up to the house. The boys, thinking that listening might get them out of work, stopped what they were doing and turned around, acting like they were paying attention. Zhalia turned to them. "Don't even think about it," she said, pointing to the dishes and smiling as the boys groaned and got back to work.

"The amulet of the Hippocampus rests in a cave on a small island just off shore of Sutos on the east side," Wilder said as he, Sophie, and Zhalia sat down in the living room. "Well, it's more like a giant rock than a small island. The cave entrance is under water, so we'll have to do some swimming to get inside. Beyond that, there's little information as to what else we'll find in the cave besides the amulet."

"What else _would _there be?" Harrison asked. "It's not like it's a legendary Titan or anything."

"The Hippocampus is able to travel huge distances at great speeds through water," Wilder explained. "Anyone riding it would be able to breathe as easily under water as they can above it. The Titan also has deadly control over that element. If an enemy is in the water, or evennear it, and someone invokes Hippocampus, they'd better run. There's also a rumor that bonding with the Hippocampus will allow the Seeker the ability to communicate with marine animals, but that's never been proven."

"Good thing we brought our wetsuits," Den said. "Let's go."

"Shouldn't we wait a while before going?" Lok asked as he handed the last dish to Harrison. "I mean, you're supposed to wait an hour after eating before going for a swim."

"That's a myth," Zhalia said. "I've gone swimming right after eating plenty of times and I was fine."

"Nice try, Lok," Cherit said. The girls and Wilder laughed.

Harrison finished drying the last dish and handed it to Den, who put it away. All three boys joined the group in the living room. Wilder stood up.

"Grab your gear and meet me at the dock," he said. "I need to get a wetsuit of my own." With that, he walked out of the house and closed the door behind him.

"So what did you two talk about?" Den asked Sophie as soon as Wilder was out of hearing range. "You were out there for a while."

"I'm not saying," Sophie answered. With that, she walked out of the room to get her swimming gear. Everyone stared after her.

"Weird," Lok said. "What the heck did Wilder say to her that she doesn't want to repeat?"

"Obviously something that you lot shouldn't try to find out," Zhalia said, following Sophie's lead.

The boys looked at each other for a moment, then shrugged and went to get their own gear.

# !#$# ^&%^()&^*))^%&%!#$T^$E^%*&(%*&)O(I$*^%U&Y$~ %#$#$^$ Y&$

How was that? The Hippocampus isn't an actual Titan from Huntik, as far as I know, so I just made up what kinds of powers it has.

Please review.


	7. Chapter 7

Nina Vale: Keep reading. You'll get your answers eventually.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

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Chapter 7: Gone

Twenty minutes later, the team walked onto the dock with their swimming gear in their hands. Wilder was waiting for them next to their boat. They all got in, and Wilder drove them around to the east side of the island. On the way there, the girls changed into their wetsuits in the rooms below the deck. When they finished, the boys went down and changed into theirs. Wilder switched places with Zhalia, giving her directions, before going down and also changing.

By the time he'd finished, they'd reached the island of the Hippocampus. Wilder had been right; it was more like a giant rock than a small island. Putting on their air tanks, goggles, and breathers, the team and Wilder dived down. Wilder led them through the water and into the tunnel that led up and into the cave. It looked very similar to the cave that was the resting place of Umbra in the Sea of Cortez.

Taking off their air tanks, goggles, breathers, and flippers, and setting them aside, the group walked forward with Wilder in the lead. The tunnel was paved with flat stones, each a different shade of brown.

"Everyone keep your eyes open," Wilder said. "No telling what sort of traps could be here."

The words had barely left his mouth when the stone he had just stepped on gave way beneath him and he stumbled forward. Lok and Harrison caught him and pulled him back just in time as some of the stones surrounding the first one fell away as well and dropped a long way down. Listening closely, the group heard a series of splashes that signaled the stones hitting the water.

"The stones are rigged," Zhalia said. "One of the shades must be a trap. Did anyone notice which one it was?"

"It was the darkest shade," Sophie said.

"Watch your step," Wilder said.

The group walked a little slower after that. Wilder picked up some stones that were lying on the sides of the path and tossed one onto the dark stone that was closest to them. It and the surrounding stones fell away and ended in a splash. They walked around the opening. Each time they reached another dark stone, Wilder would toss a rock and set off the trap.

"Why are we setting off all of them?" Harrison asked.

"If we set them off now," Wilder answered, "we won't have to worry about them later."

They reached the end of the stone-paved path. Now it was just dirt. Wilder walked slowly, looking around for anything that seemed different or off about this section. Luckily, there were no traps. They did see small clumps of grass growing on the path. The further they walked the bigger the clumps, until it was impossible to take a step without getting some grass under your foot. Soon the whole path was covered.

The tunnel then opened up into a large cave. Where they stood was the only solid ground. The rest of the cave floor was nothing but a pool of water. The walls were brown. A wide and thin white stone was standing in between them and the water, not even coming up to Wilder's waist. Rising out from the middle of the pool was a tall, white, stone pillar that nearly went all the way to the ceiling.

"The amulet must be up there," Sophie observed.

"Cherit, can you fly up there and get it?" Lok asked the small white Titan on his shoulder.

"Too easy," Zhalia said as she picked up a rock and tossed it into the air. A whip of water rose up out of the pool and swatted the rock into the wall, where it shattered.

"I think I'll stay right here," Cherit said.

"What next?" Den asked. "Swim through the water and climb the pillar?"

"The sides of the pillar are too steep and smooth for climbing," Wilder said, "and the water's probably a trap just like the air."

"Then how do we get the amulet?" Harrison asked.

"The clue I found in the Organization's archives said that 'water on white stone will show the way.'"

"We've got plenty of water but there are two white stones," Lok said. "And one of them is already touching the water. What's our next move?"

Sophie, thinking quickly, scooped up some water from the pool and poured it onto the white stone in front of them. Where the water fell the stone turned black, except for some symbols that looked like they could be letters. The rest of the team, following Sophie's lead, scooped up more water and poured it onto the stone. They continued until the entire side facing them was black, revealing a hidden message in white Greek letters.

"'Surrender an item close to the heart, and the waters, for you, will part,'" Wilder translated out loud.

"What does that mean?" Den asked.

"It's a riddle," Lok said, "and the key to getting the amulet. To do so, we have to exchange something for it."

"Something close to the heart," Zhalia added. "We need to exchange an item of sentimental value. Does anyone happen to have something like that on them?"

The boys, Wilder, and Cherit all shook their heads. Sophie, on the other hand, looked sad for a moment, then dug into her backpack and pulled out a chain. On the chain was a ring. The ring was a simple silver band with small pink gems embedded in the metal.

"Leblanche said this ring once belonged to my mother," Sophie told the rest of them. "It's one of the few things I have that were hers, and it's been my good-luck charm for the past few years."

"Sophie, you can't give that up!" Lok told her in a horrified voice.

"It's alright, Lok," Sophie said.

"It's not alright," Zhalia said. "You said so yourself, that ring is something of your mother's. Are you really going to let it go just to complete the mission?"

"You won't get it back," Wilder added, voicing the fact that Sophie was trying very hard not to think about.

"I know," Sophie said in a quiet voice, "but, in a way, I'm still trying to move on from the loss of my parents. I've already defeated the man who killed them. Maybe giving up this ring is just another step." Sophie took a few steps forward with the ring in her hand, stepping into the pool.

The instant her foot touched the water, a staircase rose up out of the pool and up towards the top of the pillar. Sophie climbed up the stairs. When she reached the top, she set down the chain with the ring on it and picked up what she found on the pillar. She turned around and climbed down, the staircase lowering back into the water behind her. She stepped back onto the path inside the tunnel and the team gathered around to see the amulet. Sophie looked up at them.

"The amulet. It's gone."

!$# %&^%^(^& $%^&#%^*U $%^Q%&$%^I($%*^&!#%^&%&(% #^%$$E

Cliffhanger! How was that? Where's the amulet? Who took it? What do you think is going to happen next?

I sort of got the idea on how to get the Titan from a Doctor Who episode and I got the idea for the water-on-stone from a movie. Cyber cookies for whoever can guess which episode and which movie.

Please review.


	8. Chapter 8

Nina Vale: Your reviews make me want to break out in evil laughter.

NumberOneVIP: It's gone.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

!#%$# ^&DR*T&I^$&U# $^%&Y%#!Q&^$%IU^%$ Y%$#!%$#%*URYTE

Chapter 8: Wishes and Regrets

"_The amulet. It's gone."_

"What do you mean the amulet's gone?" Lok asked.

"I mean it wasn't up there," Sophie answered. "Someone was here before us."

She opened her hand and held it out for the others to see. Resting in the center of her palm was a locket. It was small, only about an inch in diameter, and circular. A Celtic knot that sort of looked like three horses chasing one another was engraved on the cover.

"Whoever it was," Sophie continued, "left this behind in exchange for the amulet."

"If the amulet was already gone," Harrison spoke up, "why did you still leave your mom's ring up there?"

"If she took the locket without leaving something behind, it would be as if the person who took the amulet had never left it in the first place, and whatever trap that's been set would go off."

Sophie nodded at Wilder's words, and noticed that he looked very pale and was staring at the locket with a strange look on his face, almost as if he recognized it.

"So what do we do now?" Den asked.

"We obviously can't complete the original mission," Zhalia answered, "but we do have a clue as to who took the amulet. We can examine the locket and try to find out who it belongs to."

"Let's head back to Sutos first," Wilder said. He wasn't staring at the locket anymore, but he was still pale and still had that look on his face. "We can't do anything else here, so there's no point in staying."

The rest of them nodded and started walking back down the tunnel. They had walked almost to the section with the colored stones when they realized that Wilder wasn't with them. Zhalia was prepared to go back and drag him back to Sutos, but Sophie volunteered to go back and get him in a nicer way. The boys, Zhalia, and Cherit waited where they were while Sophie walked back to the cave.

Wilder had his back to the tunnel, looking out at the cave. Sophie walked up and stopped next to him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Wilder was silent for a moment before answering.

"I've imagined coming here for quite a few years now," he said, "but I always imagined that someone else would be with me."

"Your daughter?" Sophie asked. Wilder nodded.

"Renee. She loved horses. Even when she was young, she would always look up stories and legends about famous horses in history and mythology. When I introduced her to the Seeker world, she immediately began looking for connections between the Titans and the myths. She's the reason I know so much about the Hippocampus. There would be days that, as soon as I walked through the door, she would just start blurting out facts and details about Titans that may have inspired the myths and where they were possibly hidden. I don't think she bothered with whether or not I was listening, but it didn't matter because I always was. I wanted to bring her to all the places she talked about and get the Titans for her that she was interested in. Now I'm here, but Renee isn't."

Sophie listened patiently as Wilder ranted, waiting for him to pause. She wasn't sure what to say to him that would make things any better, but she tried.

"I know what it's like to lose someone you love," she began, "except I know that my parents are never coming back, and you said so yourself that you don't know if your daughter is dead or not. She may be alive, and you may still find her."

"I've been telling myself that for two years," Wilder said. "It gets harder to believe with each passing day."

"As long as you still believe, there's still hope," Sophie said. "It's when you stop believing that the situation turns into exactly the outcome that you feared. Don't give up."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Wilder asked, shaking his head at her. "We were enemies."

"It's just like I said when we last met," Sophie answered. "I told you that I thought there might be something different about you, different from Defoe or Klaus. I was right, and I think I'm starting to understand what that difference is."

There was silence for a moment as Wilder looked at her with one eyebrow raised. After a while, he sighed and looked back at the cave.

"When we last met," he began, "you also said that I was a coward, that I resorted to dirty tricks because I was afraid of getting hurt and not fulfilling my ambition. In a way, you were right about that as well. I was afraid of getting hurt, but not for the reasons you thought back then. Renee was adopted. I was never able to find out who her real family was, so I was all she had. If I became seriously wounded, not only would I not be able to find her, but I would be unable to take care of and protect her when I did find her. I wanted the position of leader of the Organization so that I would have the resources to find her. Unfortunately, because I fought so hard for that instead of just searching for her like I should have been doing, resources or not, I'm now stuck on this island, with no way of ever finding my daughter." He paused for a moment. "I failed her." A tear ran down his face at those last three words.

"You haven't failed," Sophie said, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "You're still alive, which means that you can still search for her."

"How?" Wilder asked. "There's nothing on this island that I can use. I've tried escaping to the mainland, but the soldiers always catch me."

"I'll try talking to Grier," Sophie told him. "Maybe we can work something out."

Wilder turned his head and stared at the young woman next to him. Memories of his daughter raced through his mind. Renee was constantly helping people, from good friends to neighbors to complete strangers. She was strong, kind, and wise. Though he would never have admitted it to anyone else, Sophie reminded him a lot of Renee. He smiled. With no warning, he hugged Sophie, whose eyes grew wide at this unexpected and out-of-character gesture from Wilder.

"Thank you," he whispered.

He let go, and Sophie smiled at him before turning and walking back down the tunnel once more. Wilder took one more look at the cave before following her.

!#$%#$&*^&*)(*^&%^#%QW^^&*&)*^&(**&&#$%~ #^E%^&(^&*(* $%~#! $ #

More about Renee, and there's more to come in future chapters. Keep reading and keep reviewing.


	9. Chapter 9

Nina Vale: Meeting between whom?

D.N.S Akina: Your wait is over.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

#!$%#%&^*^)($^%#&^~ #%$WE%R&^$(%*$ &^%#!# %$&$EU&Y^$~%# $

Chapter 9: Mistaken Identities

At the same time that Wilder was taking the team to the cave of the Hippocampus, Grier was walking down the halls of the mansion towards the dungeons. Two of his soldiers had come to him and told him about a young woman who had tried to steal from a farm not far from town. Normally thieves were taken to the prison in town, but his soldiers had told him that there was something strange about this one, and that they thought he should take a look at her. With a sigh, Grier had set down the reports he had been working on and headed towards the dungeons to see just what his soldiers were talking about.

Stepping into the dungeons, he made his way towards the cell that the soldiers told him they had placed the girl in. He reached it, stopped, and looked inside. The girl was sitting on the floor by the back wall of the cell, with her knees pulled up to her chest and her face buried in them. Grier heard quiet sobbing.

"Excuse me," he said, and the girl looked up. His eyes widened as he saw what the soldiers had been referring to. "Sophie Casterwill?"

Even as he said it, he knew that the girl in front of him was not Sophie. Their facial structure and eye and hair color were the same, but that was where the similarities ended. Besides the fact that Sophie was not the kind to steal from anybody, _and_ that she was on a boat with her team and Wilder headed for the cave of the Hippocampus, there were other differences.

This girl's long hair was knotted and tangled, and there was a teal streak in the front on her right side that didn't reach the top of her head. Her face was dirty, and you could see the paths that her tears had taken from crying so much. Her green eyes were rimmed with red, more evidence that she had been crying, and there were heavy bags under them that said she had not gotten very much sleep lately. They were filled with pain, but there was a hint of mischief and laughter in them; she had been happy once, but that time was long gone. Her pant legs had come up a little bit from sitting down, and Grier could see evidence of old burn scars.

The girl shook her head slightly and said in a low voice, "Sorry. Wrong girl." Another difference that Grier noticed was that this girl didn't have a British accent like Sophie did.

"Who are you, then?" Grier asked. The girl shook her head again.

"I can't say," she answered.

"Can't or won't?" The girl was silent for a minute.

"It's best if I don't tell anyone my real name," she finally said.

"Well, I need to call you something," Grier said. "Is there a name you like that I can call you by? You can think of it as an alias." The girl smiled slightly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"How about 'Annabelle'?" she suggested.

"Annabelle. That'll work." The girl nodded and Grier smiled. It wasn't much, but it was a start. He noticed that she seemed very uncomfortable. "My men said that you put up a little fight when they brought you here." Annabelle looked at the ground.

"I don't like cages," she quietly said. After a few minutes of silence, Grier figured that he wouldn't get much else out of her unless he took her somewhere else.

Luckily, there were a few empty rooms off of the dungeons that the soldiers used for interrogations. Grier called to the two soldiers that were on duty in the dungeons at that time and asked them to release Annabelle. The second the door was unlocked, Annabelle sprinted out and stopped just outside of it. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, and Grier could immediately see the relief in her eyes. He placed his hand on her shoulder and escorted her to the nearest interrogation room, the two soldiers walking with them, one in front and one in the back.

The soldier in front opened the door and stepped back to allow Grier and Annabelle to enter. The room was plain, with a table and two chairs as the only furniture. There were no windows, and the only light came from three light-bulbs in the middle of the ceiling. Annabelle stiffened up a little as she walked into the room. Grier still had his hand on her shoulder, so he felt her tense up.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he led her over to the chair that was facing the door.

"It doesn't look like a cage," Annabelle said as she sat down, "but it's still a prison." Grier sat down in the chair opposite her.

"You obviously have a fear of confinement," he noted. "Care to tell me why?" Annabelle shook her head. "Will you at least tell me why you were stealing, then?"

"I can't show myself to people," she answered, "so I can't work for what I need to survive."

"Why can't you show yourself to people?" Grier asked. "Are you trying to avoid confrontation with anybody?" Annabelle was silent, so Grier tried again. "Are you just extremely socially awkward and don't want to put yourself in that situation?" Again, no answer. "Are you running away from something or someone?"

"I can't let him find me." The words escaped her lips before she realized what she was saying. When she did, Annabelle gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Grier fought the temptation to smile at this breakthrough.

"You're running from someone," he said. "A man. Is he a relative or a stranger?"

"Why does it matter?" Annabelle sounded angry with herself for revealing even the slightest bit of information. "He wants me. He's willing to kill to get to me. I avoid people so that no one can answer him if he asks them if they've seen me. I also avoid them to protect them. This guy doesn't want anyone knowing about me, so anyone who gives him information of any sort is eliminated." She looked up at Grier with a pleading look and more tears in her eyes that had yet to fall. "I'm begging you; let me go and forget you ever saw me, for your own safety." Grier shook his head.

"I'm not the kind of man who will just sit back and allow something like this," he said. "I would give you the option to stay here for as long as you wish, but I know that you would just leave the second you could." He stood up. "I know you dislike confinement, but it's for _your _own safety." He turned and started to walk out of the room. "I'll send someone in periodically to check up on you and take care of your needs," he called over his shoulder.

He would have said something else, but, while he was talking, Annabelle was reaching into her pocket. The soldiers noticed when she removed an amulet.

"Raypulse!"

Annabelle screamed a bit as the Raypulse hit her hand, causing her to drop her amulet. She reached for another one, but the soldiers had crossed the room and reached her already. One of them grabbed her arms and held them behind her back as the other one picked up the fallen amulet and searched her pockets for more. Annabelle had a total of three amulets.

"You're a Seeker," Grier observed.

Annabelle was about to reply with a power when the soldier holding her snapped a pair of handcuffs around her wrists. That didn't stop her though.

"Boltflare!" she cried. Nothing happened. She tried again. "Boltflare!"

"Don't bother," Grier said. "Those cuffs are designed to neutralize any Seeker powers." Annabelle cried out as if she were in great pain.

The soldier with her amulets handed them to Grier, who pulled out his Holotome. Scanning them, he learned that Annabelle had Pegasus, the Night Mares, and Hippocampus. He narrowed his eyes at the last one, knowing that a certain Seeker team was on their way to retrieve that exact Titan. He handed the amulets back to the soldier.

"Hold on to those," he ordered, then looked at Annabelle. "I would normally use Sorrowbond, but I'd like you to trust me rather than think of me as your enemy."

"This is supposed to make me trust you!?" Annabelle cried out. "The man who's after me could attack at any moment! If he does, I'll need my powers and Titans to escape!"

"Then I'll leave you with some protection," Grier said, not missing a beat. "You two," he ordered, pointing at the soldiers, "stay with her and keep her out of trouble."

The soldiers nodded before taking their places on either side of Annabelle, who had been pushed back down into her chair. She lowered her head and sighed, a mixture of defeat and sadness. Grier gave her one last look before walking out of the room and closing the door. He walked back towards his office, ordering a passing soldier to inform him when Wilder returned with the Huntik Foundation team.

!#$%#$%^&%^($%^ #$TR$#%%U^&%$#%^! $T%$^*^*OI$%#^%T! TWEY$%#^!

And we find out a little more about our mystery girl. More revelations in the next chapter. Read and review.

P.S. At the end of chapter 7, I offered cyber cookies to whoever could guess where I had gotten some of my plot ideas from. So far, no one has guessed. Those cyber cookies are still available to anyone who wants them.


	10. Chapter 10

Nina Vale: I'm not telling. I don't even know if Kiel is alive or not. And what meeting with Sophie and Wilder?

D.N.S Akina: Maybe.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

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Chapter 10: Found?

The team headed straight for their beachside house, with Wilder right behind them, as soon as they got back to Sutos, all taking various positions around the living room. Sophie pulled out the locket she had found in the cave and placed in on the low table in front of them. Setting it down, she noticed that Wilder was staring at it again with that strange look on his face.

Zhalia scanned the locket with her Holotome and an image of it came up, along with an online website that sold Celtic-style jewelry, where the locket had originally come from. Hacking into the website's records, she came up with a list of purchases for that particular locket.

"This design had only been out for about three years now," she said. "A total of thirty-two people have bought one."

"That's quite a list," Lok moaned, the idea of sorting through them all and trying the find the locket's owner already giving him a headache.

Zhalia searched through the records, trying to find something that would help them narrow down the list, and spotted something. "This company gives you the option of special order engravings on the back," she said. Sophie picked up the locket and turned it over.

"It's engraved," she said, and watched as Zhalia made a new list for them. The total came to only twelve this time.

"That's less than half of the original list," Den said with a smile on his face.

"Can you see what the individual engravings are for each order?" Harrison asked. Zhalia did some quick typing.

"Yes," she answered. "Some are letters and some are flowers and other images. Sophie. . ."

The Casterwill girl didn't need any more instructions. Looking carefully at the engraving on the locket, she said, "It's three letters. R-A-W. Must be their initials."

After some more typing, Zhalia smiled. "There's only one order with that specific engraving. The one who purchased it is. . ." She paused, and double-checked the name and picture that showed up on the screen. After making sure that what she was seeing was correct, she looked up at the team, or, more specifically, one person, turned the Holotome around to let them see the picture, and said two words. "Zack Wilder."

The team looked at the picture of Wilder displayed on the Holotome before turning to the real Wilder, who was sitting on the couch next to Sophie. His face was pale, his eyes were wide, and he looked like he was having trouble breathing. Taking the locket from Sophie, he opened it up. The team crowded around. Staring back at them from the locket was a picture of a smiling Wilder.

"It can't be," he whispered. "Renee?"

"This was your daughter's locket?" Sophie asked. The rest of the team turned to her with confused looks on their faces. Like her, before Wilder had confessed to her, none of them had any idea that Wilder had a daughter.

"This was a sixteenth birthday present," Wilder said. "She never took it off. But if it's here, then that means that. . ." His voice trailed off.

"That means that Renee must have been here," Sophie finished for him.

"You don't know where your own daughter is?" Zhalia scoffed, criticism and doubt in her voice.

"She disappeared two years ago," Wilder said. "This is the first clue I've had as to what happened to her."

"If it's been two years," Cherit began, "she may not have been here very recently. Two years is a long time. A lot could have happened between then and now."

"I know that," Wilder said. "But, still. . ." He closed his eyes, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

"What if it wasn't her?" Harrison asked. "What if someone took it from her?"

"The item exchanged for the Hippocampus amulet had to be something with sentimental value," Sophie reminded him. "I doubt it would mean very much to someone who stole it. Besides, Wilder's picture is still inside. If the locket was stolen, whoever took it would have removed it."

"I thought as much," Harrison said. "It was just a suggestion."

"Do you have a picture of your daughter?" Den asked. "If she came to the island, maybe someone will recognize her."

As Wilder hesitated, the door opened and Grier walked in, having been informed that the team and Wilder had returned. Before anyone could say anything, he spoke.

"You didn't find the amulet."

"How do you know that?" Lok asked.

"Because I know who took it," Grier answered.

Wilder started, but didn't look up. He just kept staring at the now closed locket.

"So do we," Sophie said. "It was Wilder's daughter, Renee."

"You have a daughter?" Grier asked Wilder, who had finally looked up. If the news hadn't shocked him, the tear that fell from Wilder's eyes did. He showed him the locket.

"This was my daughter's," he said in a quiet voice. "We found it in the cave."

Grier took the locket from Wilder's hand and looked at it. Turning it over, he saw the engraved letters.

"R-A-W," he read out loud. "Those would be her initials?" Wilder nodded. "The 'A' wouldn't happen to stand for 'Annabelle,' would it?" Wilder's eyes widened as he looked at Grier in shock. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"What did you mean when you said you knew who took the amulet?" Harrison asked, apparently the only one who remembered why Grier had come here in the first place.

"Because she's here," Grier answered. Wilder jumped up.

"Renee's here!?" he cried. "On Sutos!? Where is she!? How did you find her!?"

"Slow down there," Grier said, pushing Wilder back down. "She was caught stealing from a farm. When I interrogated her, she refused to give me her real name and asked to be called 'Annabelle' instead. She also mentioned that someone was looking for her; a man that was willing to kill to get to her."

"I would do anything to find my daughter," Wilder said, "but I wouldn't go so far as to kill someone. Renee would never forgive me if I did."

"You had no problem trying to kill us when we were still fighting," Den pointed out. Wilder looked away with an ashamed look on his face.

"The man she's referring to must be involved with her disappearance," Sophie suggested, trying to lead the conversation away from where Den had started taking it and back to where it originally was.

"We found the few amulets she had on her," Grier continued, "and one of them was the Hippocampus."

"After two years with no clues at all," Wilder whispered, "and now. . ." He stood up again. "I have to see her." He was pushed back into his seat once again by Grier.

"Just to make sure it's the same girl," he began, "do you have a picture of your daughter on you by any chance?"

Just like before, Wilder hesitated. Eventually, though, he pulled a picture out of his pocket, the same picture that Sophie had seen him looking at. Everyone crowded around to take a look, and all but Grier gasped.

"Sophie!?" the boys cried, then switched back and forth from looking at the girl sitting next to Wilder, who had gone as pale as he had when he first saw the locket, and the picture that he held in his hand.

"Wilder, you said you adopted Renee. Care to give us the details about that?" Sophie asked the man sitting next to her.

"It was fourteen years ago," Wilder began. "I had just joined the Organization and was in Paris looking for an apartment. I found Renee in an alley. She looked like she had just come out of a fire. The hospital was unable to locate her family, so she was sent to the orphanage. I adopted her two weeks later."

"You also mentioned that she already had an amulet," Sophie said.

"Yes," Wilder said. "Pegasus."

"That's one of the Titans Annabelle had on her," Grier added.

"Sophie, do you know something about Renee that the rest of us don't?" Lok asked.

Everyone stared at her as Sophie tried to think of the best way to say it. After a few minutes of mental debate, she took a deep breath.

"I think," she began, "that Renee might really be Serena, my twin sister."

! $#%^&%&*(^*&)(^^^!#$%R%#$^U&*^IU#^$ ^T%#~ %$#%^&*$^%(II^#%$^$T!#

Cliffhanger! Even though most of my reviewers had already figured it out. How was that? I'll explain about Sophie's twin in the next chapter. For now, please review.


	11. Chapter 11

Nina Vale: Yeah, you knew it. I thought it might be easy to figure it out. I gave you enough hints.

D.N.S Akina: Really? You had kind of figured it out already.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

!#$# $%^&*^*)*&%^$&! #%^%#^*&U&%UY% #!R !#R%$#U&^$IU%!#$TR

Chapter 11: A Selfless Sacrifice

"_I think that Renee might really be Serena, my twin sister."_

"Your WHAT!?"

Lok, Den, and Harrison all had their mouths open and were staring at Sophie, who had flinched as they'd screamed those two words. Zhalia, Cherit, and Grier were looking at her with curious faces, wanting to know the story behind this. Wilder just looked like he wanted to run out of the house and find Renee.

"Why did you not tell us you had a twin sister!?" Lok demanded to know.

"I thought she had died in the same fire that killed my parents," Sophie answered in as calm a voice as she could muster, "just like how I thought Lucas had also died, so I didn't think it was worth it to tell any of you."

"But you survived the fire," Zhalia pointed out, "and so did Lucas, so it makes sense that Serena could have survived as well."

"I only survived because of Santiago," Sophie reminded her, "and I don't know how Lucas survived."

"Why do you think Renee is your sister?" Grier asked. "Aside from the fact that she looks exactly like you."

"My parents died in a fire," Sophie began, "fourteen years ago at our summer house in Paris."

"And I found Renee fourteen years ago in Paris, looking like she had just come out of a fire," Wilder chimed in. Sophie nodded.

"Also," she continued, "when every Casterwill child turns three years of age, they receive their first Titan to bond with. Lucas was given Templar, I got Sabriel, and Serena received Pegasus. She always did like horses."

"Only one way to know for sure," Zhalia said as she stood up. "We give Renee a test that will prove whether or not she has Casterwill blood."

Sophie and Wilder stood up, and Wilder took the locket back from Grier, putting it in his pocket to give back to Renee. As the four humans and Cherit moved towards the door, Zhalia noticed that the boys were still standing there with their mouths hanging open. Rolling her eyes, she turned to them.

"Close your mouths before a bug flies in," she said. The boys immediately snapped their jaws shut. "Good. Now, you can either stay here in your shock or you can come with us and meet the girl in person."

The boys had barely taken a step towards the door when a loud explosion rang out. Running outside, everyone saw a large pillar of smoke coming from the mansion. Grier, who had memorized the layout of the mansion and knew where every room was, paled slightly as he realized where the smoke was coming from.

Sure enough, a familiar figure emerged from the cloud of smoke, running towards the water. Renee's hands were still cuffed, but now they were in front of her, and she held her trio of amulets in her hand. Crouching down on the ground for a moment, she picked the lock on the cuffs and they sprang open. Throwing them away, she started running towards the water again when an unfamiliar voice rang out.

"Touchram!"

The power hit Renee in the back and she stumbled, falling to her knees. Looking back, she watched in horror as another figure walked out of the smoke. This one, however, was unfamiliar to the Seekers watching. It was a man, with white skin and short, dark brown hair. He wore a deep-blue shirt, black pants, and a white lab coat. His eyes were dark, almost black, and they were looking at Renee with a mixture of anger, determination, and lust. Renee shivered.

"Come on, my pretty little mare," he said, trying to make his voice soft and friendly, but failing. His voice reminded everyone of a spider web: innocent enough to look at and pretty at times, but a nightmare was hiding in the shadows, waiting to pounce on whatever unsuspecting victim fell into its trap. "Let's end all of this pointless drama and just go home."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Carter!" Renee shouted at him, trying to sound brave to mask her fear of this man. "And I am not yours!" Raising one of her amulets above her head, an upside-down gold horseshoe with a blue gem in the center and a pair of orange wings, she summoned the Titan resting in it. "Pegasus, hold him back!"

The Titan that emerged was a white horse with large and beautiful silver wings. His mane, tail, and hooves were also silver. His blue eyes shined down on the man who dared to try and force his will upon his Seeker, hatred coming out of them in waves.

The man before him, apparently named Carter, merely smirked, not intimidated by this Titan. He raised two amulets of his own and called out, "Gigadrone, Redcap." The Titans came out and charged, with the two flying Titans beginning to battle and Redcap running straight for the girl.

Renee began to focus on the battle, the Redcap not giving her a second to call forth any more Titans. The Seekers watching, coming out of their shock, began to run towards them, Wilder taking the lead. Noticing them, Carter pulled something else out of his coat.

"Shadowspeed!" Wilder said, putting on a burst of magical speed in order to reach his daughter in time.

He got close enough to see just what Carter had pulled out. What Wilder had thought would be another amulet turned out to be a gun. His thoughts immediately went to his daughter. He put on another burst of speed and ran in between his daughter and the man with the gun just as Carter pulled the trigger.

BANG!

A shot rang out, and the Huntik team and Grier finally reached the sight. Zhalia shot a Raypulse at Carter, forcing the man to drop his gun, which was picked up by Cherit, but it was too late. Renee turned around after shooting one more power towards the Redcap, sending it back to its amulet. She didn't see the man who had been hunting her for so long, nor the prince who had questioned her earlier that day, nor the team of Seekers who defeated the Gigadrone and surrounded Carter, powers aimed and ready to be fired if he tried something.

She only saw her father, the one who had found her and adopted her when she had no one and nothing, the one who had raised her and taught her how to be a Seeker, the one whom she had been taken from, the one she loved with all her heart. . .

. . . and the one who now had a huge red mark on his stomach, one that was growing with the increasing amount of blood escaping from the wound.

The bullet had found a mark.

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Another cliffhanger! Keep watching out for the next chapter to find out what happens. For now, please review. . .

. . . and please don't shoot me!


	12. Chapter 12

Nina Vale: I know. I'm so mean.

NumberOneVIP: Don't worry! It doesn't end there!

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

!#%$#^*$^&)(&#%^^%# ^$%R*I&^$UYT%R# !^Q%$#(*%^*&%T ~#^#%

Chapter 12: If Only Tears

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A scream rang out, one filled with so much pain that anyone listening would think that it came from someone who was being mercilessly tortured a hundred different ways. In a sense, they would be right.

Renee watched as Wilder gave her a small smile before he started falling. She was by his side in an instant, catching him, setting him down on the ground, and cradling his head gently in her lap.

"Daddy!" she cried out. "Daddy, no!"

"Renee," Wilder whispered. "You're alive. Thank the gods." He started coughing.

"Daddy, no! Don't leave me! Please!" Renee pulled up his shirt a little bit, revealing the place where the bullet had entered Wilder's body, and placed one hand on his wound. "Everfight!" The golden light surrounded her hand and flowed towards the wound. The bleeding slowed ever so slightly, but not enough. "Everfight! Everfight!" Renee kept trying, but the wound was too serious to be healed by Seeker powers. Wilder needed a doctor, and he needed one fast!

A group of soldiers and other servants who worked at the mansion had run out onto the field while Renee had been focused on her father. One of them was a paramedic. He immediately ran over to where Wilder and Renee were and took a look at the bullet wound. He took off his over-shirt, bunched it up, and pressed it onto the wound. Wilder bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain. The paramedic turned to Renee.

"Keep pressure on it," he instructed her, taking her hand and putting it on the shirt. As she obeyed, he called out over his shoulder to those who were listening. "I need an air-lift to the hospital in Velos!"

"Get that chopper started up!" Grier ordered two of the soldiers. "Secure that man!" he ordered two more.

The man who had chased Renee and shot Wilder found himself wearing the same kind of handcuffs that Renee had been wearing earlier. As the soldiers led him away, she glared at him. If looks could kill, Carter would have been burned to a crisp before he could blink.

"If my father dies," she shouted after him, "you'll have me to answer to!" The man just smiled at her and allowed himself to be taken away. A moan brought her attention back to her father. "Daddy, hold on," she told him.

"I'll be fine," Wilder told her, looking up at her and smiling, "as long as I know that you're alright." He started coughing again.

The chopper came around and landed next to them. Two soldiers jumped out with a stretcher and helped the paramedic ease Wilder onto it. They then picked up the stretcher and carried it onto the chopper, Renee following them with one hand pressing the now soaked shirt onto the wound and the other holding her father's hand with a grip that said she didn't ever want to let go.

* * *

Many hours later, Renee sat in a chair next to her father's hospital bed, holding his hand again and watching him as he lay there, unmoving.

The doctors had removed the bullet and stitched up the wound as best they could, but Wilder had not woken up yet. He had lost a lot of blood, and a tube now connected his arm to a bag of blood that would replace it. There was quite a bit of internal damage, and the doctors weren't sure if they could fix it all without making it any worse. They told Renee that it would have been better to just pull the plug, but one glare from the young woman told them that that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. For now, Wilder was comatose.

In Renee's other hand, she held her precious locket. The doctors had returned it to her after doing surgery on Wilder. While she wondered how it had ended up with him, since she knew that she had left it in the cave of the Hippocampus, she was grateful to have it back. Opening it up, she saw her father's face smiling at her. Looking at her father now, it broke her heart to see him so weak and vulnerable, unable to smile at her like he used to, unable to tell her that everything would be alright, even though she knew that it would be a lie. She closed the locket.

Another tear fell from Renee's eyes and she wiped it away. She had been crying on and off ever since they'd reached the hospital. She knew it wouldn't make a difference, knew that her tears wouldn't heal her father, but they just wouldn't stop.

As her mind began to replay the times she had been sick, and her father had sat by her bed and sang to her, she thought of a song she had heard a few years ago and memorized, but never sang when Wilder was around. It was too sad. The words came back to her now, and she couldn't stop them as they escaped her lips.

"_How will I start__  
__Tomorrow without you here?__  
__Whose heart will guide me__  
__When all the answers disappear?__Is it too late?__  
__Are you too far gone to stay?__  
__Best friends forever__  
__Should never have to go away._

_What will I do?__  
__You know I'm only half without you.__  
__How will I make it through?_

_If only tears could bring you back to me.__  
__If only love could find a way.__  
__What I would do, what I would give__  
__If you returned to me someday,__  
__Somehow, someway,__  
__If my tears could bring you back to me._

_I'd cry you an ocean__  
__If you'd sail on home again.__  
__Waves of emotion__  
__Will carry you, I know they can._

_Just love will guide you__  
__And your heart will chart the course.__  
__Soon you'll be drifting__  
__Into the arms of your true north._

_Look in my eyes__  
__And you'll see a million tears have gone by__  
__And still they're not dry._

_If only tears could bring you back to me.__  
__If only love could find a way.__  
__What I would do, what I would give__  
__If you returned to me someday,__  
__Somehow, someway,__  
__If my tears could bring you back to me._

_I'd hold you close__  
__And shout the words I only whispered before.__  
__For one more chance, for one last dance,__  
__There's nothing that I would not endure._

_If only tears could bring you back to me.__  
__If only love could find a way.__  
__What I would do, what I would give__  
__If you returned to me someday,__  
__Somehow, someway,__  
__If my tears could bring you back to me."_

One single tear fell from her eyes and landed on Wilder's hand as she sang the last few words. Unable to hold back the emotions that were now flooding through her, she buried her face in her father's chest and cried until she finally fell asleep.

!#$# ^%%$&(*^&*U^Y# $%R~ #WQ^%^$*%^&*& %#!T%#~ %#!^ #$%^

Please don't shoot me! Don't worry. This is not the end. We will see Wilder again.

If anyone is wondering, the song Renee sings is "If Only Tears," by the Midnight Sons.

Please review.


	13. Chapter 13

Nina Vale: I've never actually sang to someone while they were dying, or severely wounded like Wilder, but I like the idea of it. Hopefully, I will never have to.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

~#$# %&^%()&$^^&YT$#%QY&%&%^#*&!#%$^#!#$^%#(*%!#%~ %^$# %

Chapter 13: Sisters

Renee slept for the rest of day and on into the morning. When she woke up, there was a girl setting a vase of flowers on the table next to Wilder's bed. She was wearing a maroon top, maroon arm sleeves, and a pink skirt. She had long, light-brown hair, and green eyes. When she turned to face Renee, the waking girl knew exactly who she was.

"Sophie Casterwill, I'm assuming?" she asked. The girl nodded.

"You assume correct," Sophie said. "How did you know who I was?"

"When you get mistaken for someone," Renee explained, "and then you meet someone who looks just like you, or very similar, well, I can do the math." Sophie smiled.

"I'm surprised you're not questioning why there's someone who looks exactly like you," she commented. Renee smiled back.

"They say that everyone has a double somewhere in this world," she said. "I guess you're mine. That, or you're really my twin sister that I didn't know I had because I don't have any memories before my dad found me." The smile left Sophie's face. Renee's smile quickly followed.

"You're not far off," Sophie said. "I did have a twin sister, but I thought she was dead." Quickly, Sophie told Renee about Serena and the fire that had killed their parents and the Titans that each Casterwill child receives at age three. "You have to admit, it's too much of a coincidence to be anything else."

"I don't believe in coincidences," Renee said. "Four years of my life are missing, and the pieces of the puzzle are all there. I just can't remember what the final picture looks like." Her hand went to her amulets, specifically Pegasus, and she was silent, looking as though she was listening to some voice that only she could hear. "Pegasus tells me that I really am Serena," she said after a moment. "I prefer 'Renee' though, if you don't mind."

Sophie shook her head, indicating that she didn't mind at all, and the girls sat in silence for a while. The revelation that they were twins was drowned out by the depressing atmosphere of the hospital room. A doctor came in once to check on Wilder's condition. Nothing had changed, and the time passed slowly and in silence. Sophie went to the cafeteria and came back with some fruit and muffins for the two of them to share. Renee didn't eat much. All of her attention was on her father.

"The doctors say that I should just let him die," Renee finally said, breaking the silence. "He saved my life, more than once since I met him, and yet I can do nothing to save him."

Sophie stared at her sister for a minute, then down at the face of the sleeping man. She thought back to all of her encounters with Wilder, lingering on the last couple of days. In that moment, she knew that she had to find a way to save him, not just for her sister, but for the man that she knew was hiding in there: the man that Renee knew, the man that Sophie was just beginning to know.

As night fell, and visiting hours came to an end, a doctor came in and told the girls that they had to leave, and that they could come back in the morning. Renee tried to protest, especially since the doctors hadn't made her leave the day before, but Sophie was finally able to convince her to leave.

"I don't think your father would want you to waste away in here," she said.

Renee wanted to tell Sophie that she knew nothing about what her father would want, except she knew that it was true. She followed Sophie, who led her to a Huntik Foundation safehouse where they could rest. Renee almost immediately fell asleep on one of the beds while Sophie sat awake on the other bed and pulled out her Cypherdex.

"Cypherdex," she whispered, not wanting to wake Renee, "give me everything you have on healing powers and Titans with healing abilities."

The first few results were powers that she already knew, like Everfight, but then a Titan's name came up which caught her eye. She researched it more, trying to learn all she could about it, and eventually fell asleep. Her Cypherdex, sensing that its mistress would not be using it again for a while, turned off.

* * *

Sophie woke up around nine in the morning. Looking around, she noticed that Renee was not there. Guessing where she had gone, Sophie got dressed and headed for the hospital, making a few calls as she walked. When she got to Wilder's room, she saw Renee sitting there on her father's right side, holding his hand. She didn't even look up when Sophie walked in. She just kept staring at her father, dried tear marks on her face.

"Hey, sis," Renee said.

"Hey." Sophie pulled up a chair and sat opposite of her twin. A moment of silence passed before she spoke again. "Renee, have you ever heard of the Titan Alicorn?"

"Yes," Renee answered. "It's the Titan that inspired the legends of unicorns. According to my research, it has miraculous healing abilities. If you're thinking about using it to heal my dad, I already thought about that. My research unfortunately didn't give any clues as to the Titan's location."

"It's at Huntik Foundation Headquarters in New York."

Renee's head snapped up and she looked at Sophie, curiosity, doubt, and a bit of hope in her eyes.

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"I did my own research last night," Sophie answered. "It was found a few hundred years ago, remaining in possession of a single Seeker family until the Foundation was formed, when it was given to them for safekeeping." She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "My research also told me that hundreds of Seekers have tried to bond with Alicorn and none have succeeded. There is a chance that it will refuse to help you."

"If there is even a chance that my father could be saved," Renee began, "then I'm going to take it." She started to stand up, but then sat back down again and looked at Wilder. "I can't leave him. The doctors already want to pull the plug. If I just leave him like this. . ." She couldn't even finish saying it.

"Don't worry," Sophie said, standing up. "I've got it covered."

She went over to the door and waved. Not thirty seconds later, Den and Harrison walked into the room.

"We'll keep an eye on him for you," Den said.

"If any of the doctors try anything, they'll be the ones who will need a doctor," Harrison added.

Renee didn't say anything. She just ran up to the two boys and hugged them. Sophie laughed a bit when she saw that both Den and Harrison were blushing. They both glared at her.

"I don't know how long this is going to take, so. . ." Renee began to say after letting the boys go.

"Not a problem," Sophie interrupted. "They'll switch out with Lok and Zhalia in two hours. They've all agreed to take shifts until we come back."

Renee almost started crying again, but she took a deep breath instead. Now was not the time for tears.

"Thank you," she said before turning to Sophie. "Let's go. I don't want to leave my dad any longer than I have to."

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Seekers, we have a mission.

To find out how the mission goes, please review.

P.S.: I won't be able to update next Friday. I will be in Oregon celebrating Thanksgiving with my grandparents, and I will not have access to my laptop. Even if I did, the Internet connection isn't very good up there. I will update as soon as I get the chance after that. Please be patient.


	14. Chapter 14

Nina Vale: The mission is on. There will be more Casterwill reunions in future chapters. Muahahahahahaha!

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

I'm sorry this is a day late, but, as I said at the end of the last chapter, I was on vacation and didn't have access to my computer. I will update next Friday like I normally do. For now, enjoy!

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Chapter 14: The Mission – Part 1

Sophie and Renee jogged to an isolated beach with a wooden dock. A pier stretched out and into the water. The girls ran to the very end of it. Looking around to make sure they were alone, Renee pulled out an amulet.

It looked like an upside-down gold horseshoe, with a blue gem in the middle and surrounded by orange waves.

"Help us, Hippocampus!"

Renee invoked the Titan, which appeared in a flash of sea-green light. The light disappeared below the water for a moment, then the Hippocampus jumped out of the water like a dolphin, spraying the girls with water. It dived back into the water and then came back up and swam to the pier. The horse part, which consisted of the head, the front legs, and the torso, was about the size of a very large draft horse. The tail stretched out behind it for a few more yards. The Hippocampus shimmered with scales that were shades of purple, pink, blue, yellow, and green. Its front legs and head were lined with fins of different shapes and sizes (**A/N: Basically, just picture the Hippocampus from "Percy Jackson."**).

The Hippocampus turned to the side and stayed still as the girls got on, with Renee sitting in front and Sophie right behind her. As soon as the girls were settled, Hippocampus dove under the water and started swimming towards New York.

The girls should have been freezing due to the temperature of the Atlantic Ocean, but they didn't feel any cold at all. They both held their breath at first, but, when they couldn't hold it in anymore, they started breathing normally and found that they could breathe as easily as if they were on dry land, just like Wilder had said. While it took planes a few hours to travel across the Atlantic and it took quite a few days for ships to travel the same distance, only an hour passed before the girls found themselves flying past the Statue of Liberty.

Hippocampus took the girls to a pier that was blocked off from any spectators, so they didn't have to worry about anyone seeing them. The girls got off, surprised to find themselves completely dry, and Renee called back Hippocampus to its amulet. They walked away from the beach and into the city, with Sophie leading the way since she knew where they were supposed to go.

"How are we going to get the amulet?" Renee asked. "Are we going to sneak in or something?"

"No," Sophie answered. "I called a friend on the Huntik Council, explaining the situation, and he agreed to take us to the Titan."

"Who is he?"

"Dante Vale."

"The Huntik Foundation's number one Seeker?" Renee asked. "You know him?"

"I met him two years ago," Sophie answered. "He was our team's leader. After we defeated the Blood Spirals, he was offered a place on the Huntik Council."

"Who are the Blood Spirals?"

Sophie explained to Renee about Casterwill and the Betrayer, the Spiral Mark that had first summoned the Nullifiers to Earth, how the Blood Spirals were the Betrayer's followers and wanted to bring back the Nullifiers, and how they were the ones who had burned their home and killed their parents, causing them to become separated. When Sophie told her about her encounters with Kiel, ending with his defeat, Renee smiled.

"He should count his blessings that you got to him before I did," she said. "I would've ripped that guy to pieces." Sophie laughed.

The conversation would have continued, except that they had reached Huntik Foundation HQ. The girls walked in and were immediately greeted by Dante and Teien.

"Welcome, Sophie and Serena Casterwill," Teien said.

"Who are you and how do you know my true identity?" Renee asked, hoping she didn't sound too rude.

"Teien Casterwill," the woman said, taking off her mask. "Elder of the Casterwill House of Strategists and member of the Huntik Council."

"How did you know we were coming?" Sophie asked. She had only called Dante, and had asked him to keep it all a secret until Renee was ready to reveal herself.

"She has the phone lines tapped," Dante answered with an apologetic smile. "I don't know what the key words are, but you said them."

"I'd love to keep chatting," Renee said before someone else could say something, "but every second I waste is another second taken away from my father's life."

Dante nodded, then led the way to the amulet storage rooms, the women following him every step of the way. They reached the room reserved for Titans that were difficult to bond with, stored in small safes that lined the walls. There weren't very many that had amulets in them. Dante opened one of the safes and took out an amulet, handing it to Renee.

The amulet of Alicorn was very similar to the amulets of Hippocampus and Pegasus: an upside-down horseshoe with a gem in the middle. The differences were the colors and the decoration beyond the horseshoe. The horseshoe was dark gray and the gem was pink. Surrounding the horseshoe was a steel-blue, eight-pointed star.

Renee was silent for a minute, looking at the amulet. The others were waiting for a reaction. After a while, Sophie spoke up.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. "Did the Titan not bond?" Renee shook her head and blinked her eyes, as if she were coming out of a trance.

"Sorry, what?" Renee didn't seem to notice that she had been frozen.

"I know you have a lot of hope riding on this Titan," Dante said, "but please remember that Alicorn has turned away hundreds of Seekers. It may choose not to bond with you."

"I don't care if it doesn't want to bond with me!" Renee shouted, a few tears escaping her eyes. "I just want to save my father!"

At that moment, a golden light began to emanate from the amulet, surrounding Renee and making her glow. There was a blinding flash, and everyone covered their eyes. When they looked back up, there was a Titan standing in the room.

Alicorn was pure white, with a golden mane, tail, and hooves. A horn, just over one foot long and shining like diamonds, protruded from the middle of her forehead. She looked at each of the Seekers in turn, her eyes resting at last on Renee.

Seeker and Titan gazed into each others' eyes for several silent moments. The audience members, holding their breaths, were just waiting for a reaction of some kind. Finally, Alicorn took a step back and _bowed _to Renee. After a few seconds of shock, Renee curtsied back. As she stood back up, Alicorn returned to her amulet and Renee turned to face the others.

"She bonded with me," the girl whispered. "She can save my dad."

"Then we'd better hurry back to Velos," Sophie said. Renee just nodded before following her out of the storage room.

Dante and Teien guided the girls back to the entrance, wishing them luck on their return trip. As the girls ran off into the city, the two members of the Huntik Council turned back to see the rest of the Council members standing there with shocked looks on their faces.

"There's two of them?" Metz asked.

Dante rolled his eyes as he prepared what to say to his mentor.

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They have the amulet. Now it's time to save Wilder.

I'll explain later a little bit about why Alicorn refused so many Seekers. Until then, please review.


	15. Chapter 15

Nina Vale: Good theory. Not going to confirm or deny it until the chapter where I actually talk about it.

D. N. S Akina: I'd be surprised too if I were them.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

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Chapter 15: The Mission – Part 2

Renee was tired from bonding with Alicorn and having already invoked Hippocampus once and keeping him invoked for an hour, so it took them twice as long to travel back across the Atlantic to Velos. In an attempt to make up for lost time, Renee sprinted towards the hospital once she was on dry land and had called back Hippocampus. Sophie was having a bit of trouble trying to stay with her.

They were about ten minutes away from the hospital, having been gone for just about five hours, when Sophie's cell phone rang. She picked it up, still running after Renee, and talked to the person on the other end. Her eyes grew wide. As she hung up, she called to her sister, having to shout in order to be heard.

"Renee!" she cried. "We have to hurry! I just got a call from Lok! He overheard two doctors talking about pulling the plug with or without your permission!"

The only reaction she got was Renee putting on a double burst of Nimblefire. Sophie did the same in order to keep up. What would normally be a ten-minute run now only took them three minutes.

Renee ran into the hospital, Sophie right behind her, and headed straight for Wilder's room. One of the nurses, who was in on the plan to pull the plug, shouted out to anyone within hearing range to stop the girls. The girls, however, were able to avoid any arms trying to grab them, legs trying to trip them, and various machines, buckets, and anything else the doctors threw in their way in an unsuccessful effort to slow them down.

They arrived at Wilder's room to see Den, Harrison, and Lok on the ground, having been sedated to prevent them from ruining the plan, and three doctors surrounding Wilder's bed, one with his hand on the plug hooked up to the machines that were the only things keeping that man alive. When they saw them, the other two doctors grabbed Renee and Sophie and held them back. Renee, having expected something like this, already had the amulet in her hand. All she had to do was speak the words.

"Save him, Alicorn!"

Alicorn emerged in a flash of golden light. When the doctors saw her, they gasped and stepped back. Alicorn ignored them. She walked up to Wilder and placed the tip of her horn on the bullet wound. A white light glowed there for a few seconds, then faded. Alicorn stepped back.

The whole room seemed to hold its breath as the occupants stared at the sleeping man. For a while, it seemed as if it hadn't worked. Then, Wilder's eyes flickered and opened. They glanced around the room, coming to rest on his daughter.

"Renee?" the man said in a weak voice.

Renee, who was crying harder than she ever had before, ran to her father and threw her arms around him. Wilder, who'd been thinking that he was a dead man and would never see his daughter again, also started crying.

Sophie slowly backed out of the room, glaring at the doctors and gesturing for them to also leave. The doctors, knowing that they were in enough trouble as it was, picked up the three unconscious boys and followed her out, leaving the father and daughter alone. They would have run away as soon as they were in the hallway, but Grier's men were standing right there and Simplemind-ed them, as they had with all the other doctors and nurses. Sophie smiled.

Mission accomplished.

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Wilder is alive! You can stop pointing your guns at me now. I wasn't gonna let him die after all that.

Short. I know. I'll have more in the next chapter. For now, please review. And if any of you are crying, here's some cyber-tissues.


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